5 Tips to Simplify Clean Eating
Many of us tend to overthink and overcomplicate things; I’m guilty of this myself. We feel the need to have everything perfectly aligned before we feel confident enough to start moving forward. This can apply to various aspects of life, including eating healthier, working out, and prioritizing sleep and rest.
We often think, "I need to know the 'perfect’ diet before I start eating better," or "I need someone to tell me exactly how many macros I should eat to lose weight." We wait for someone to provide a detailed plan, believing it will give us the motivation to start taking care of our health. However, it doesn’t work that way. Although I’m a huge fan of getting professional guidance, you don’t need all the steps laid out before taking the first one.
Simplifying Nutrition
When it comes to nutrition, I now try to keep things super simple. I've experimented with nearly every "healing diet" imaginable to recover from complicated health issues like IBS, fibro and chronic fatigue. From keto to carnivore to AIP (Autoimmune Paleo). Currently, I follow a personalized Paleo-ish diet that works well for me.
While I believe nutrition should be personalized, there are common themes and guidelines we can all follow within any healthy nutritional regimen.
Eat Real Food
Ask yourself the following questions:
Did it come from a farm or from a factory?
Can you grow it or raise it?
Has it been chemically altered, or could you find it in the wild?
Would our great-great-grandparents have been able to find it and eat it?
These are questions we never thought we'd have to ask ourselves, but nowadays, they are crucial. Our food supply has changed significantly, and we must adapt. Prioritize eating foods that are grown or raised without chemicals as much as you possibly can. Organic foods might be more expensive, but do what you can, because your health depends on it. I definitely don't eat organic 100% of the time, but I do my best.
Eat for Nutrient Density, Not Caloric Density
Forget about calories and focus on foods that provide rich, abundant nutrients like vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, protein, healthy fats, and healthy carbohydrates. When you focus on what your food can give you — energy, strength, focus, calm — you'll naturally reach for healthier options more often. Consider whether that sugary muffin and coffee for breakfast is truly sustaining you or leading to a mid-morning crash and evening binge eating.
Eat a Variety of Foods
By variety, I mean a range of real, whole foods, especially vegetables. The more diverse your diet, the more expansive your nutritional profile and healthier your gut bacteria will be, leading to better overall health.
Avoid Inflammatory Foods
Social media is really good at confusing us about which foods are healthy and which foods are inflammatory. As a nutritionist, I don’t agree with extreme claims, like completely avoiding either meat or plants entirely. However, it has been shown that refined, highly processed foods, oils like canola and soybean oil, fried foods, factory-farmed meat, gluten, and ultra-pasteurized dairy can be inflammatory. These are counterfeit foods, altered to look and taste real, but they aren't.
While it can be complicated, especially if you don’t tolerate many foods, start with simple meals made from simple, minimally processed ingredients. Food should BE ingredients, not have ingredients.
Finding Balance
I understand the stress of trying to find and eat the "perfect diet." It's not good for your digestive system or overall health to stress over and be fearful of food. However, it’s important to nourish your body and discover which foods serve you best. Over time, as you learn and grow in this area, it will become easier.
If you haven’t already seen it, I also created a YouTube video on this topic, which you can watch here!
Asher Kleiber
Registered Holistic Nutritionist™
